Andy's South American travel blog: The world's most dangerous road
March 16th, 6 p.m. Today is our last day in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. Tomorrow Max and I are going to Coroico, a town about 60 kilometers from here. We're taking a bus along the North Yungas Road, also known as "Death Road". It goes along steep hillsides and cliffs. People call it the most dangerous road in the world! There are hundreds of accidents on it every year.
March 17th, 9 a.m. I've found out more about the North Yungas Road. It's only about 3 meters wide, and in some parts there's a drop of at least 600 meters. That's more than half a kilometer! There's no barrier(栅栏) along the side of the road. And there's often rain or fog, which makes it even more dangerous.
I found out another thing. Here in Bolivia, they drive on the right side of the road. But on the North Yungas Road, they drive on the left. Why? Because thismeans that the driver on the dangerous side of the road can see the edge of the road more easily. The driver's seat is on the left side of the bus, so the driver is close to the edge. Our bus leaves in one hour!
March 17th, 8 p.m. We got to Coroico safely. It was terrifying at times! But there was no rain or fog. Our driver told us the road is safer than it used to be, and he's driven it many times before. He didn't drive fast, and we never went too close to the edge. Thank you, Mr. Bus Driver!
